1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a children""s shoehorn for use in connection with assisting parents when dressing an infant or young child. The children""s shoehorn has particular utility in connection with putting on an infant""s or young child""s shoes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shoehorns are desirable for making putting shoes on easier. The use of other shoehorns and musical devices is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,333 to Aryee discloses a musical and illuminated baton. However, Aryee ""233 makes no provision for application of music and illumination to a device useful for aiding parents in dressing small children.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,522,922 to Smiley discloses a shoehorn that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. However, Smiley ""922 does not disclose a shoehorn with a character to appeal to children at the end opposite the shoehorn nor a shoehorn that fits the heel of an infant or child.
U.S. Pat. No. 728,788 to Washington discloses a shoehorn that is wide at one end and flexible. However, Washington ""788 does not disclose a shoehorn with a character to appeal to children at the end opposite the shoehorn nor a shoehorn that fits the heel of an infant or child.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,710,138 to Bartholomae discloses a shoehorn with a tongue and a finger loop. However, Bartholomae ""138 does not disclose a shoehorn with a character to appeal to children at the end opposite the shoehorn nor a shoehorn that fits the heel of an infant or child.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,000 to Batista discloses a shoehorn with a wide end and curved handle. However, Batista ""000 does not disclose a shoehorn with a character to appeal to children at the end opposite the shoehorn nor a shoehorn that fits the heel of an infant or child.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a shoehorn that aids parents in putting on an infant""s or child""s shoes. The abovementioned patents make no provision for a shoehorn to accommodate an infant""s or child""s foot and no provision for a shoehorn with a character or the like to appeal to children at the end opposite the shoehorn.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved children""s shoehorn which can be used for assisting parents when dressing an infant""s or young child""s shoes. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the children""s shoehorn according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of assisting parents when putting on an infant""s or young child""s shoes.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of shoehorns now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved children""s shoehorn, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved children""s shoehorn which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a shoehorn which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, one embodiment of the shoehorn of the present invention essentially comprises a lower heel-engaging portion and an upper portion in a shape suitable for children. The shoehorn maybe sized for an infant""s or child""s heel. The shoehorn may produce means for producing sound. The means for producing sound may be a circuit comprising: a switch, a battery, a speaker, and a microprocessor comprising a memory that enables a song or other distinctive sound to be emitted from the speaker. The circuit of the shoehorn may further comprises at least one light or two lights in the form of eyes. The upper portion of the shoehorn may be in the shape of a logo, geometric shape, character or animal.
A second embodiment of the shoehorn of the present invention essentially comprises a lower heel-engaging portion sized for an infant""s or child""s heel and an upper portion in a shape suitable for children. The shoehorn may produce means for producing sound. The means for producing sound may be a circuit comprising: a switch, a battery, a speaker, and a microprocessor comprising a memory that enables a song or other distinctive sound to be emitted from the speaker. The circuit of the shoehorn may further comprises at least one light or two lights in the form of eyes. The upper portion of the shoehorn may be in the shape of a logo, geometric shape, character or animal.
Another embodiment of the shoehorn of the present invention essentially comprises a lower heel-engaging portion and means for, producing sound. The shoehorn may have a lower heel-engaging portion is sized for an infant""s or child""s heel. The means for producing sound may be a circuit comprising: a switch, a battery, a speaker, and a microprocessor comprising a memory that enables a song or other distinctive sound to be emitted from the speaker. The circuit of the shoehorn may further comprise at least one light or two lights in the form of eyes. The upper portion of the shoehorn may be in a shape suitable for children. The upper portion may comprise lights in the form of eyes. The lights may be lightable via a circuit comprising a switch, a battery and lights. The circuit may further comprises a speaker and a microprocessor comprising a memory that enables a song or other distinctive sound to be emitted from the speaker. The upper portion maybe in a shape of a logo, geometric shape, character or animal.
To attain this, one embodiment of the present invention essentially comprises a shoehorn having a lower heel-engaging portion sized for an infant""s or child""s heel and an upper portion in a shape suitable for children. The children""s shoehorn may also comprise a circuit to play a song or other distinctive sound to be emitted from the speaker and/or light lights. The upper portion in a shape suitable for children may further comprise lights in the form of eyes. The upper portion of the children""s shoehorn may be a logo, geometric shape, character, animal or form.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include children""s shoehorn in different colors, different construction materials, with different characters and different sized shoehorns to accommodate a growing child""s foot. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved children""s shoehorn that has all of the advantages of the prior art shoehorns and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved children""s shoehorn which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved children""s shoehorn which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such shoehorn economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn to fulfill the need for an accessory that would ease the task of putting on an infant""s or child""s shoes for child and parent.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn that may extend the life of a shoe by easing an infant""s or child""s foot into a shoe thereby avoiding pushing on the back of the shoe when dressing the child.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn that prevents potential injury to a small ankle or foot that may occur if undue pressure is used in an attempt to force an infant""s or child""s foot into a shoe.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn in different sizes to accommodate shoe sizes from infant""s size 1 to children""s size 6 and beyond.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn in the shape of a character, animal, logo, and geometric shape or form appropriate for children.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn that plays a song or other distinctive sound to be emitted from a speaker when a button on the back of the children""s shoehorn is depressed.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a children""s shoehorn having a character that has eyes that light up.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.